


The Hands of Loyalty are Well Fought

by RevyDutch



Series: Kyalinquisition [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, City Elf Origin, Crossover, Dragon Age - Freeform, Dragon Age AU, Elf Mage, F/F, Qunari, Qunari Culture and Customs, dwarf bolin, dwarf/qunari relationships, elf kya, elf/qunari relationships, kyalin au, kyalin dragon age au, qunari korra, qunari lin, qunari meta, qunari rogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 19:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6720646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RevyDutch/pseuds/RevyDutch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kya was an Elf born an apostate. Lin, a Qunari born under a purpose. Their paths cross, destinies intertwine, sacrifices are made for fugitive lovers. </p><p>Years later, as Lin is happily fighting alongside the Chargers, and Kya is the Inquisition's head healer, an injury brings Kya a realization; a purpose of her own, she goes on a quest to save the one she loves. Along the way, she finds unlikely help in a Dwarf who left the Qun and a Qunari never born under it, both of them clinging onto a painful shared past. </p><p>With the clock ticking, wars begin brewing, loyalties are tested, and lessons, well, they're painfully fought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Victory Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay first off I want to give HUGE special thanks to melonishus for giving me the original kyalinquisition prompt that prompted so many wonderful ideas from this that I HAD to continue writing the Kyalin Dragon Age AU. I would say its more an AU than a crossover, because it's more like "what if we put these characters in this universe" rather than "these characters got sucked into this universe somehow". Literally the only connection this fic has to LoK is the characters; its a Dragon Age fic before anything else.
> 
> Basically what inspired me to continue this was, of course, the basic idea that Kya was an elven mage, and her lover was a Qunari, aka a RACE THAT HATES MAGIC, so I did a shitton of research into the Qunari to make this fic work. There's a lot of Qunari lore and a lot of Qunari worldbuilding that just isn't in the games yet, but I will try my best to stick with what we know about the Qunari and play around with that.
> 
> Also I want to give a huge shout out and mega special thanks to mintgal, whom I commissioned the art of Qunari!Lin and Elf!Kya (because I, too, had an incredibly hard time visualizing Qunari!Lin), and wants to do EVEN MORE ART FOR IT so prepare ur butts and stay tuned.

 

She stormed into the war room with a swagger only she could be confident in, slamming documents onto the already messed table. The silver-haired elf, a mage identified by her staff, a healer identified by her gentle touch on the sheets, looked defiantly at the three advisers and their Inquisitor. After the silent standoff, she opened her mouth to speak-

“Kya, we’ve been over this,” Cullen sighed, bringing a hand to his temples (a result of an already tiresome day). “We barely scrape by with the reserves we have, we can’t be at your beck and call whenever you need some pain-killing potion, or whatever it is this time.” He grunted in frustration, throwing the papers off with it. Kya, grimacing, didn’t take her piercing blue eyes off of him as she bent down and picked up his mess.

This wasn’t the first time she had to do this-and it certainly wouldn’t be the last- but she had her reasons this time. And, they were important. As one of the Inquisition’s most highly respected healers, Kya _did_ have some authority over medical expeditions and when to send them. Typically done on a semi-regular and scheduled basis, lately she’d be coming to the table almost every day for the past week requesting a convoy to pick up some rare herbs. Her requests hadn’t been well received.

“Excuse me, Commander,” Kya said, expertly hiding her fury behind her calmed speech as she dusted off the papers. “But my patients are literally _screaming_ from the pain of their treatable wounds and all I need are these simple herbs to make things a tad quieter for everybody.”

“She has a point,” Josephine quickly chimed in. “The nobles we’ve placed by the infirmary have been very vocal about their… discomfort over the past week or so.”

“Still, Cullen’s right.” Leliana said, then grabbed the papers from Kya, which was a first. “We don’t have enough soldiers to lead an expedition…” She squinted her eyes as she read.

“To _Tevinter!?_ Have you lost your mind!?” Now _she_ slammed the papers down (at least on the table this time).

“Seheron, actually, to be precise.” Kya explained, bringing a hand to her chin. It was a sign of nervousness, an emotion she hid well behind her actions. The three advisers looked at her with a mix of confusion and… was it disgust? It didn’t matter; she’d expected this reaction.

“Listen, the painkiller potion is from an old Qunari recipe and uses herbs that, surprise! Only grew in Qunari farms. Brought over from wherever they’re from, and stayed there. That kind of thing.” Kya explained, a bit wishy-washy in her description. The advisers looked at each other now, Cullen and Leliana still nowhere near convinced, and then Josephine turned her attention to the Inquisitor. Kya did too.

She was also an elf, and a mage, though from a _very_ different background. While the Inquisitor grew up with the luxury of freely learning her magic in a Dalish clan, Kya survived hiding from town to town, city to city, hiding in alleyways and inns with nothing but a family to hold onto.

Needless today, being a family of Elven apostates in the Free Marches was… less than ideal.

However, while Kya found herself drawn to the magic of ice, her brothers took after their father and fell in love with the wind. The Inquisitor also favored the art of air, and Kya’s hopes lay in her connection to the art.

“Inquisitor,” Kya addressed her, in hopes of _finally_ winning the war table’s favor this time. The Inquisitor looked over the documents, then at the table, and again back at the papers, and sighed something sad. She turned her attention to Kya.

“I understand, we _all_ understand you’re trying to do good here, but Cullen and Leliana are right.” The Inquisitor replied, and Kya could tell her heart was heavy. “We don’t have enough soldiers to conduct an expedition within our borders, let alone outside them. I’m sorry.”

Kya sighed and grabbed the papers from the Inquisitor’s hand. She had been expecting this too, but it was worth it to try, anyways. She nodded a “thank you”, and made her exit back to her post.

Back in the infirmary, Kya had to squint now to make it through the beds of shouts and cries. She had to shove off hands latching onto her, begging for an end to the pain, as she rushed her way to a bed by a window in the back. In it lay a wounded Qunari warrior, her left horn broken, two scars on her right cheek, clutching the side of her body in pain where she was shot. Trained to hide it, however, she was dealing better than the other wounded, but even _she_ was starting to find it hard to cover it up. Her back turned away to try and quell the hurt, the sound of familiar steps turned her around.

“Kya,” She managed to say, then winced as she clutched her injury. Kya quickly dashed to her side and put a glowing hand over the wound.

“Shh, Lin, it’s okay, I've got you…” Kya whispered to her, trying to reassure her as best she could. After a few moments, Lin felt the pain subside, and opted to grab Kya’s hand before she could return it to herself. They both smiled.

“I take it they didn’t like your mission request?” Lin asked.

“More or less,” Kya replied, her voice a tad playful. Lin managed to chuckle.

“Didn’t expect them to like a Qunari recipe too much…” Lin muttered. She didn’t want to exert too much energy; Kya’s spell was only temporary, and the pain-free time she had was getting shorter and shorter each time the spell was cast.

Kya sighed, then motioned for Lin to move over so she could lie down beside her. Wrapping her arms around her (far too tall, as they often joked) Qunari lover, Kya dug her head into Lin’s back. Lin could feel the tears from Kya’s eyes stream down.

“I’m going to be fine, Kya.” Lin reassured her, her voice more like a grunt than something soft.

“Is that what you said when you took the damn arrow to your ribs?” Kya replied, blunt. It was a tad harsh, but Lin knew she didn’t mean it.

“I’m sorry-”

“No, I am,” Kya quickly interjected. “Maker, you shouldn’t be apologizing. Especially for just doing your job…”

Lin shifted a bit as a sign she knew. Kya just held onto her tighter.

“I’m just trying my best to help you-”  
“I don’t need help.”  
“Andraste’s _tits_ , stop saying that.”

Lin turned around now, only to find Kya grimacing at her, her face determined. Lin looked sad back at her, then winced as the pain started coming back. She turned away, but Kya grabbed her cheek and turned her back around and into a kiss. It was brief, but it was enough, and they knew what was next as they kept their foreheads together.

“I should be stopping you, but I know I can’t.” Lin managed to chuckle.

“You wouldn’t be able to even if you _weren’t_ injured.” Kya replied back, a tad of laughter hidden in her voice as well. They remained silent there for a few moments, neither of them wanting to leave, forgetting pain was something that existed at all.

“Go to Par Vollen instead,” Lin whispered, bringing Kya in closer. “It’s safer-”

“Than Seheron? Are you sure that arrow didn’t hit your brain?” Kya asked in disbelief. The walled city of Par Vollen, where whomever gets in gets shot and whoever leaves simply _can’t_ , was _a better place to go_ than the heavily guarded, yet enter-able stronghold, that was Seheron?

Not much of a difference, Kya realized after thinking about it, but-

“It’s home.” Lin explained in only two simple words, and Kya understood.

“Well, I guess Kont-aar is close enough to Par Vollen to be considered ‘home’ for you,” Kya teased. “But I get it. You have friends - allies - that could lend a hand or two, if they still have the other one.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Lin laughed, then clutched her wound as the sharp pain returned. Almost instinctively, Kya put her hand back on it and it began to glow once more, quelling the pain. Lin looked at her, focused on her magic, and saw she was hurting just as much. The solemn expression was rare for her, witnessed only through traumatizing backstories, words thrown in arguments that hit a tad too deep, and, of all things, when they ran out of Dwarven ale.

As the pain subsided, Lin put her hand on Kya’s cheek and turned her to meet her eyes.

“At the very least, leave tonight,” Lin begged, her voice barely a whisper. Kya nodded, then gave Lin another kiss as she held onto her tight and drifted asleep.

The next time she woke up, the sky was illuminated by moonlight and the stars. Better off done alone, Kya gathered a small bag and her staff, some warm armour and a poultice, and gave Lin a kiss goodbye.

Outside, with no clear direction to go, Kya closed her eyes and felt the wind. The icy shivers it gave her to the north she considered a sign. So, she stepped foot into the blind unknown, her waiting love destined her guide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, everything mentioned in this chapter is important.
> 
> Yes, everything.
> 
> _Everything._
> 
> (also andraste's tits is my all time favourite swear from thedas)


	2. The Way Things Are Meant To Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya was an Elf born an apostate. Lin, a Qunari born under a purpose. Their paths cross, destinies intertwine, sacrifices are made for fugitive lovers.
> 
> Kya begins her mission to Par Vollen, stopping in the port town of Jader to find a ship that will lead her halfway across Thedas. Considering the current world issues, this proves to be a slight problem...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to progman for being my Official Bolin Consultant™ and nycz for continuing to be my Official Beta Reader Wife™ (no seriously I did a whole "will u be my beta reader" proposal and everything it was great)

On the third day by foot, Kya realized she should have brought a horse with her. 

“Could have made it to Jader  _ twice _ over by now…” she grumbled, slugging along the beaten path. She followed the signs but she wasn’t completely convinced they were accurate. At least with a steed, she could have the luxury of getting lost; time isn’t  _ that _ wasted when you have four legs to travel on instead of two.

What she did have with her, however, was a raven flying beside her whom she had named Tonks. A (surprising) gift from Leliana, she sent her the first morning with a letter. The Inquisition’s spymaster still wasn’t too keen on the idea, but after a quick walk around Skyhold she figured out the true intent of her journey. That part didn’t surprise Kya, but she was a bit impressed with herself that Leliana hadn't figured it out sooner. She was told she could use the raven to communicate, but unfortunately Leliana’s “present” didn’t come with parchment or writing utensils. Even more motivation to get to Jader, she constantly told herself.

That, and also that the  _ Mage-Templar war _ was all up in her face nearly everywhere she went. She wasn’t afraid of it, though; she was just too damn old to give any care to it. Dead bodies were nothing new to her, and it was almost instinct to throw a quick healing spell or two when she saw someone on the ground. She groaned through it more than anything.

So, after stepping over yet  _ another _ dead Templar, Kya  _ finally _ made it to the sign that said Jader was a few steps away. Overjoyed (and ducking to avoid a magical bolt), Kya gave an excited look to Tonks (who she swore smiled with her beak), and picked up the pace into the port city.

And how magnificent it was! During her nomadic childhood in the Free Marches, nothing brought more joy to Kya than when her family entered the port cities. The boats were always awesome in size, always entering majestic docks filled with ornate Marcher architecture. She always had a strong connection to the open sea, and she fresh smell of sea salt always brought a soothing calm to such a hectic life. She closed her eyes to bring it all in, to enjoy the scents and sounds of a bustling port city-

And then she opened them, and realized Jader was… a bit of a dump.

Growing up on Marcher ports, Kya wasn’t too impressed by the excuses Jader called its own. More like glorified bridges, it seemed Jader was more of a border town than anything. Granted, it probably  _ was _ for travelers both on foot and sea, considering it was actually in Orlais instead of Ferelden (which Kya was  _ still _ trying to wrap her head around). The architecture of the city was more or less what she was used to in smaller orlesian cities: bricked taverns, posh buildings, some lions here and there on the paved streets. It was all kinds of a boring, really. Kya much preferred the grand magnificent of the Free Marches. Orlais was too… high strung.

Suddenly realizing she was actually in  _ Orlais _ instead of Ferelden, however (it still wasn’t really hitting her, after all, all she did was go north), she started to realize that finding a boat willing to sail all the way to Rivain was probably going to be harder than she had originally thought. Not that it’d be much easier to find a Ferelden vessel to do the job, but at least she wouldn’t have had to rely on a nobleperson, and could have probably hitched a ride with some pirates or something. Getting her hands a bit dirty wasn’t something she was opposed to, but she knew she wouldn’t find that in Orlais.

Well, when Orlais was involved, she remembered, she’d probably be getting her hands dirty regardless.

It wouldn’t have been the first time, either. Though she hated to admit it, Kya had her fair share of Orleasian politics interfere with her in the past. Nobles constantly stopping by Kirkwall, getting a  _ tad _ too drunk in the Hanged Man brought about some… interesting interactions. Most of all, she knew a few too many secrets. So many that sometimes, Kya considered applying to become an Orleasian Bard.

The biggest secret, however, laid in the arms of a dashing young daughter of a noble who loved to traverse the high seas. She had come, sailed to Kirkwall one fateful evening with a burnt ship and a harpoon through her shoulder, barely making it to the clinic Kya ran with her mother. Kya took control of the situation that night, and then found herself in the debt of an Orleasian lord. 

Turns out saving the life of Lord Zuko of Val Chevin’s daughter had those kinds of benefits, and after some scouting around the “ports” of Jader, a startling discovery made Kya hope she could take advantage of that. She walked up to the well-ornimated, yet aging Orleasian yacht and placed her hands on her hips as she smirked up at the ship’s captain. 

“Well at the very least, you learned how to keep flames off your sorry excuse for a ship,” she called out. The captain in question, a tall, elegant lady with experience behind her age, perked up and turned around. Already a bit snobbish in her expression (it was an Orleasian thing), her face shriveled up when she realized just  _ who  _ had called out to her.

“Kya, it’s been years, and you  _ still _ haven’t learned how to address Orleasian nobility?” she called back, her power stance now met with a pout. Kya opted to grin, and slowly made her way towards the ship as the woman kept her golden eyes on her.

“Please, Izumi, i’m an Elf,” Kya said, taunting. “Rejecting shitty, oppressive Orleasian customs is literally in my blood.”

Izumi rolled her eyes, then finally sighed and hopped off her yacht. Her age starting to get to her and she almost stumbled and fell off the dock. Kya laughed, then lent an outstretched arm to her, and was glad that Izumi grabbed it back in greeting, even if it was a bit reluctant. 

“It’s been  _ far _ too long,” Izumi said, her tone not nearly genuine enough (It was also an Orleasian thing). “What have you even been up to these days? Doing anything exciting?”

“That’s always been a relative question and you know it,” Kya replied with crossed arms and a snort. 

“That bad, huh.”  
“Excuse you, I’ll have you know my wife is very… exceptional with... certain skills.”  
“That she’s  _ clearly _ here to help you out with.”

Kya knew she was joking, but considering the recent circumstances, it wasn’t too well received. At the very least, Izumi kept her shock at the fact that Kya had gotten  _ married _ hidden behind her “Orleasian face” (as Kya called the fakeness).  Kya chuckled a bit to keep up social appearances, then glanced away as she remembered what she needed.

“Speaking of my wife,” Kya said, deciding to just lay it all out, “I need a favor.”

“What can I do for any kind of wife of yours?” Izumi snorted in response. 

“Well, it’s not  _ just _ her, but…” Kya sighed as she tried to find the best wording for her little… issue. “I need a ride to Llomerynn.”

“Are you out of your mind!?” Izumi exclaimed. Kya had already hung her head in defeat as she even  _ asked  _ the question. It was a good thing she was used to this kind of rejection already. 

“Look, I know we’re in the middle of a war, there’s giant hole in the sky, and we could be killed any time by some crazy old magister named Coryphy… hell, I don’t even know his name, but trust me, there’s a good reason,” Kya tried to explain, as if she already didn’t have this planned out. Well, actually, she’d  _ already _ used it once or twice in the War Room. She was starting to get a bit annoyed at the similarities.

“What the hell could you use that’s in Llomerynn, though?” Izumi asked, the Orleasian urge to pry steadily influencing her speech. “Any herbs you find there you can find in Kirkwall. You imported them yourself, after all.”

“Its, uh...” Shit. Kya never got this far. “Inquisition business.”

“Wait, you work for the Inquisition now?” 

Damn Orleasians.

“Yes, I work for the Inquisition. So does my wife. I heal, she hits things, but that’s irrelevant,” Kya said, anxious now, trying desperately to handwave the situation and just get her tired ass on a ship to Rivain. “What I  _ need _ right now is a way to Llomerynn.”

Izumi sighed as she crossed her arms. Kya knew this wasn’t good.

“Look, I know my father owes you for ‘saving my life’ on all those ‘medical trips’ I used to take,” Izumi sighed.

“Honestly, i’m surprised you didn’t tell him what, or rather,  _ who _ , you were actually doing.”  
“Shut up.”  
_ Yeah, I probably should, _ Kya thought, clinging onto some fragment of hope in the situation.

“But, I mean, you said it yourself. Look around you. Between the rift and the war, I’ve barely managed to make it out of Orlais.” Izumi explained, and Kya didn’t need her to go on. After all, she  _ was _ expecting this. But, if  _ Lady Izumi _ of Val Chevin wasn’t willing to travel, like the dashing young, adventurous woman she had been in days of old, then Kya figured she better brace herself for rejection that lay ahead.

“I get it,” Kya had given up now. “Thanks, glad to see you again, anyways.” 

“Same to you,” Izumi replied, through that mono-“Orleasian tone” of fakeness Kya had grown to hate. “And i’d love to visit you at Skyhold sometime!”

With that, Kya just smiled (awkwardly), waved goodbye as she turned around, and left the scene to the nearest Inn where she could rest a few days. And boy, did she need it to wrap her head around  _ that _ farewell. 

It was one thing to have your Orleasian old flame meet your wife. 

It was another when your wife was  _ a Qunari _ .

Kya figured that interaction  _ probably _ wouldn’t go over well.

She also started thinking about explaining the true situation to whomever would eventually take her to Rivain. She’d still need a ship to get to Par Vollen (or at least to Kont-aar), and covering up the reasons for that was… challenging to say the least. Still, she figured once she got to the Inn (and successfully threatened _convinced_ the barkeep in the tavern to bring the raven in with her) that it wouldn’t hurt to put up a notice. She could work from there; it was something like a month to Rivain anyways. She’d have time to think about it.

A few days had now passed since Kya put up the notice. Her room in the Inn was starting to get cramped, annoying, keeping her restless. She also had no luck going to the ports in the day. Kya considered giving up; she was constantly let down anyways by nobleperson after nobleperson. Even the cargo ships and “cargo ships” (hint: the “cargo” was people) didn’t have the room to let another person on board. She briefly considered hopping on a Tevinter slaver ship (at least it’d take her to Seheron), but remembered she was an elf. That  _ probably _ wouldn’t have gone over so well.

Defeated by another long day of rejection, Kya plopped herself down at the inn’s tavern (Tonks mimicked her and did the same on her left shoulder), and ordered a pint of Dwarven Ale. She downed half of it in one go.

“Ahh, nothing better than some good ‘ol brew.” She managed to grin as she went to put her cup down. She jokingly stopped along the way to see if Tonks would take any first. The bird almost shat in her drink.

“Next time, then.” Kya chuckled as the raven flew away to perch on a rafter in the ceiling. She was all set and ready to finish this drink and head to the next, when suddenly the tavern doors burst open, and a curious couple walked through the doors.

Curious may not have been the right word.  _ Peculiar _ , maybe. The duo got plenty of well-intentioned and relatively deserved stares as they walked slowly into the now silent tavern. Of course, it wasn’t everyday that a young  _ Qunari _ and a  _ Dwarf  _  entered an  _ Orleasian _ town tavern  _ together _ . 

It was an… interesting sight to say the least.

Of all the patrons that night, though, Kya remained indifferent. It was unusual, sure, to see the two of them in this “quaint” little port town, but she’d seen weirder. She finished her drink as if nothing happened, and called for another one. She didn’t even notice the Qunari girl and her Dwarf friend sit down beside her at the bar at first. After glancing over at the dumbfounded barkeep, Kya took a moment to scan the two of them - the Qunari sporting neck-length brown hair and unusually blue eyes that matched her numerous bracelets and necklaces, the Dwarf boy covered in tattoos and incredibly stout with dark hair styled upwards - shrugged, and turned back to her drink. 

The Qunari and the Dwarf looked at each other for a moment, puzzled, and then the Qunari poked Kya on the shoulder.

“Sorry, hate to bother you, but it’s not often we walk in somewhere and we have such a… quiet reaction,” she said, sporting a huge grin on her face and offering an outstretched hand. “Name’s Korra. The small guy is Bolin.”

“Why do you always introduce me like that? I’m a  _ Dwarf  _ of course I’m short! That’s like calling you tall or a Mabari loyal. Literally everyone knows that,” the Dwarf-Bolin-snorted as he called over two drinks. “Oh, and just for the record, because clearly I need to correct it since  _ somebody  _ isn’t gonna, I’m the tallest in my family by  _ several  _ hairs  _ and _ the strongest  _ and _ I can outrun a Halla without breaking a sweat  _ and  _ I don’t actually have a fourth thing but if I did it would be just as, no twice,  _ twice  _ as impressive as those other...other three things. So yeah. That’s me. Bolin, nice to meet you.”

“He’s exaggerating,” Korra said, rolling her eyes. “His brother was taller.”

Bolin turned his nose to her as he passed her one of the drinks. Kya took a moment before she shook the Qunari girl’s hand, but then realized why those names sounded so familiar. She actually  _ had _ gotten a notice back that there were some people interested in taking her to Rivain. She dismissed it, though, not believing that a “Vashoth and Tal-Vashoth for hire” were seriously willing to travel to  _ Rivain _ . 

She also expected two Qunari individuals. The Dwarf was a little unexpected. Still, she realized now these people were legitimate, and shook Korra’s hand.

“Kya,” she said, introducing herself. “You guys responded to the notice, right? I must say, I’m a bit-”

“Surprised? I’d be surprised if you  _ weren’t  _ surprised. Because everyone is always surprised, even though that name should really communicate this better, and then I have to make this big speech about tolerance and understanding and I really don’t feel like doing that so I’ll just give you the short version before I start drinking these fine...mugs of...whatever this is. Won’t say swill, looks better than that. Anyway, look, simple as can be: Qun’s a religion. Big strict one, but yeah, religion. And my parents were Qun...ish, so I am too. And that’s just about it,” Bolin finished, drowning his drink and calling for another. Yeah, he was  _ definitely _ a dwarf alright, regardless of the red Qunari ribbons he wore across his body. Kya snorted at his response; she liked this kid.

“Yeah, but, Bolin, you gotta realize most people are a bit taken aback when they find out…” Korra sighed. “Speaking of which, i’m still a bit curious as to why an  _ Elven mage _ is okay with casually talking to a  _ Qunari _ , regardless of my affiliations-”

“Which you won’t stop talking about even--” Bolin quipped.

“-with the Qun.” Korra finished, glaring at him. 

“Look, I have my own ‘affiliations’ with the Qunari and after a while of ‘associating’ with one of them, you get over the fear,” Kya explained with a wink, ordering drinks for the three of them. Korra gave her a confused look. Bolin took a sip from his newly delivered drink.

“Associating means sex, right? I’m just guessing, y’know, because you put some emphasis on it and you’re not correcting me or acting shocked. Also good for you, I think?” he said, still focused on his drink. Korra took a look at Kya, assuming how “fragile” she was with those “tiny” Elven bones, and looked almost horrified. She chose to focus on her drink to rid herself of the thought.

“Well, she’s my wife so I hope so,” Kya said. “And she’s the reason I have to get to Llomerynn.”

Bolin and Korra put their drinks down now and looked at each other for a moment.

“Okay, what’s the  _ exact _ reasoning, though?” Korra asked with a curious eyebrow. 

“Inquisition business.” Kya had this excuse down pat now.

“Yes, and also for your wife, as you said,” Korra responded.

Shit. Kya never got that far (or realized exactly what she said). She sighed.

“Okay, she was injured during a mission. Shot by an arrow and honestly, I figured she’d be out of the infirmary in a few days but when I left she was still bleeding and in pain and gave me this recipe for-”

“Ooooh man, You’re going to Par Vollen to get Night Lotus, aren’t you?” Bolin quickly interjected. Kya looked at him with a mix of confusion and shock.

“Y-Yes, precisely…” she said, wondering where exactly he figured it out. “How did you-”

“Qunari painkiller potion, forgot the exact name of it, works wonders!” He seemed a little excited about this. Still, Kya decided to dismiss it for now; if these people now knew what her  _ actual  _ mission was (which saved her a month of thinking about how to break the news to them), then they were probably serious in their return message.

Korra called for three more drinks, then turned to Kya. “So, Kya, was it? I hear Par Vollen is a pretty dangerous place,” she said, passing one of the drinks to Kya. “I’ll be dead honest: the only reason we responded to your notice was because we were heading out in that area on our own.” 

“You’ve probably been told you’re insane for trying to sail halfway across Thedas in these times,” Kya said, downing her drink. “I sure have.” 

Korra laughed. “We have our reasons, but since we lost our third guy-Hasook-we’ve been a little…” Korra glanced at the many patrons who stared at her and her tiny friend. “Grounded.”

Kya looked around and quickly noticed the people staring at them. A warning glare in return staved off most of their unwanted attention.

“Trust me, as an aging Elf with a staff, I’ve had my fair share of odd looks,” Kya said, stirring what was left of her drink.

“Okay look, ladies, all this small talk about blatant discrimination and institutionalized racism is great and now we know each other’s ulterior motives, but one thing remains unconfirmed: are we heading out there or not? Because if we’re not then we’ll just scrounge up some stuff and hire another Hasook. Or, if we are heading out, then let’s get moving people!” Bolin exclaimed as he finished his… was it his fourth or fifth drink now? Dwarven tolerance truly was inspiring. 

Kya grinned, then broke into a huge laughter, leaving the Dwarf confused. She certainly liked his enthusiasm, and figured she would be able to get along with these people for however long she needed. She gave him an outstretched hand that he… just stared at. 

He was a fun guy but probably needed a lesson or two in social cues. 

“Oh for the love of-” Korra rolled her eyes and muttered “Andraste’s tits” under her breath. “Shake her hand, Bolin. We’re in.”

Once he got it. his face lit up and he eagerly shook Kya’s hand, perhaps a little too excitedly. And up and down more times than he had to, really. Korra decided she’d do the speaking from now on.

“Shothtal Shipping Co. at your service. Pleasure doing business with you,” she said, then leaned in closer to whisper an extra: “We’re actually more like mercenaries but the word ‘pirate’ doesn’t give you a good rep in these seas.”

“Eh, you could probably get away with it in Ferelden, but you’re right. Orleasians are too… posh for good ‘ol Rivaini pirates,” Kya said with a wink. Bolin and Korra looked at each other with their own puzzled look now.

“How did you-” Korra started to say-

“I know my people when I see one,” Kya explained, a huge, affirmative smile on her face. Korra’s face almost lit up when she heard that, and it almost reminded Kya of-

Kya quickly covered up the thought. “And besides, I could tell from the fact that you were wearing Rivaini jewelry, and not one fertility talisman is on your body so at the very least, you know your shit.”

Korra laughed, and Bolin and Kya joined her. It happened so quickly, the bond they formed, but in the moment it seemed right. Maybe even more. 

  
They agreed to leave the day after next, letting the Ale settle and their minds clear, the fresh wind on their faces pointing them east out of the Waking Sea. The tiny ship set sail with a black raven flying beside it, and they decided to let the call of adventure guide their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I doubt i'm ever going to fit it into the fic organically so i'm just gonna spill it out here: "Shothtal Shipping Co." really has no deeper meaning. It was literally something Bolin and Korra came up with in five minutes because, as they say, they couldn't just market themselves as pirates. They just took "Tal-Vashoth", took out the "Va", and switched the words around. They are incredibly transparent (and very uncreative) people.
> 
> I don't know if i'm ever going to dive more into Kya's past with Izumi (it was pretty much all there tbh), but if people are interested maybe? Let me know in the comments! What I can tell you tho that I don't know if it was portrayed well is that it was very Hot and Spicy and obviously made some sort of impact in a young Kya's life. They were in their early 20s when they had their thing and it was WELL before Hawke was even BORN okay. 
> 
> Also to make it clear I changed their LoK!Canon ages a TINY bit: Kya is in her early 50s, Lin is in her late 40s, but Bolin and Korra are still in their early 20s (however, they are the same age in this fic).
> 
> The chapter title comes from the Qunlat phrase, "Asit tal-eb" which according to the DA Wiki means: "'The way things are meant to be.' or 'It is to be.' A driving principle of the Qunari philosophy." which is a counterpart to the last chapter's title, which was a phrase from the Chant of Light. 
> 
> Thanks for all the reblogs on the first chapter! I'm happy to see people find this from both the DA and LoK fandoms! The next chapter is FINALLY going to delve into the Kyalin backstory so PREPARE UR BUTTS


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